Monthly Archives: May 2013

We just came across this post on the Toronto Standard about the InteraXon Muse; a sleek looking headband that allows you to interact with other products using your brain waves! Crazy right? Check this video out:

The future is here! (Also it was a pleasant surprise to see they were using Shoplocket to purchase/reserve your Muse!)

It’s that time of year again, our friends at Extreme Startups are hosting their bi-annual Demo Day, this time for their Spring 2013 cohort, which features Brika, Koge, Instaradio, Polychart and Sciencescape.

In attendance will be Toronto’s Top CEO’s, VC’s, politicians, press, entrepreneurs, designers, makers and hackers.

Hey DevTO community! We have a great event that is happening this weekend that we’re sure you’d like to hear about: Hack for Good with Prepr and AngelHack

Sponsored by the Prepr Foundation, Hack For Good is a place for you to come out and to develop innovative solutions that benefit your community. Bring your best ideas and take it to the next level while competing for $100,000s in prizes and a chance to pitch to investors.

Here is more information on the event from the organizers:

Hack for Good with Prepr and AngelHack on May 18th
Date: Saturday, May 18, 2013 at 9:00 AM – Sunday, May 19, 2013 at 4:00 PM
Location: MaRS Centre, South Tower, 101 College Street TorontoPrice: $35, use coupon code preprhack for 75% off

Do you have an idea you’re ready to take to the next level and want to jumpstart it? Then join Prepr Foundation and AngelHack in our global hackathon this weekend, you can win $100,000′s in prizes, hack your way into our accelerator program and get to pitch to top investors – ALL that for just winning the hackathon! Register on eventbrite.

Prepr Foundation is sponsoring the event and inviting people to Hack For Good – come out and join our team to develop innovative solutions that benefit the community. We are an open education non-profit run by innovators, if you would like to learn more about our current hacks, or to join our team please contact us at info@prepr.org

The fun starts at AngelHack Toronto on May 18th, where you’ll find:

* 100′s of amazing developers & designers for you to work with * Immediate attention and opportunity for your project to get accelerated * Tech Media to run stories on winning teams * An awesome community of mentors and expert judges * And all those amazing prizes we mentioned above!

This isn’t your typical hackathon; this is the big leagues.
Show us what you’re made of, hack your way to the top all while making a difference.

Welcome to our Tech in Toronto event listing. We have pulled together all the technology related events in the city to one awesome place for you to check up on. Don’t miss another event! Check back every Thursday to see a new listing curated by us, here at DevTO.

This week is a little slim thanks to the long weekend, but there is an exciting event on Saturday and Sunday at MaRS: AngelHack! You can get 50% off with the code “DevTO”. More info here.

Howdy folks,
One of Toronto’s best hackathons – AngelHackTO -is around the corner. As usual, we have your discounted tickets right here! Get a ticket to AngelHackTO for half price! The discount code – DevTo – will get you in to compete against some of the city’s best and brightest interactive scene members. Devs, designers, PMs, idea people – you name it! Worth checking out! Enter here!

FITC is at it again, bringing you Spotlight: Hardware, a new and exciting event dedicated entirely to hardware! Join Toronto’s tech and maker communities for an all-day hands-on event with 10 creative technologists to brief you on today’s trendiest tech platforms.

If you haven’t heard of FITC’s Spotlight series before, they are a great way for you to focus on and learn a “tech topic for one day and [it] gives interactive professionals and students the opportunity to build up their development skill set at a low price point, with a minimal time commitment.” From Google Glass, Arduino to 3D printing and Raspberry Pi, FITC’s Spotlight: Hardware will help give you an all-day intensive look into these emerging technologies.

If you’re interested in learning more, check out the event info here. Also, for the DevTO community, FITC has a special code for you to use. The code gives you 10% off tickets! To buy, just enter in the code here.

So, if you’re a developer or an emerging technologists, or just plain interested in getting started with hardware, then check out FITC’s #SpotlightHW event on June 8, 2013.

Also, keep your eyes open at our next event… you may able to win a ticket!

Toronto’s about to get a little leaner! We at #DevTO are happy to welcome a new bi-weekly meet up for entrepreneurs in Toronto. Lean Startup Weekends aims to help you get your idea out there and make money—all in one weekend!

These events are not limited to just developers; marketers, strategists and designers are all welcome to join in these high-intensity weekends.

If you’re interested, check out their meet up group and RSVP for their inaugural weekend event! If you can’t make this weekend, follow through Twitter with the hashtag ‘#leanweekends’.

Take a gander at their bio:

So do you want to start a company and make money?

This is how we do it: Saturday morning we all share our amazing startup ideas, we vote for the best ones and form teams around them. From here we get out of building, ask potential customers, invalidate those amazing ideas, cross-validate ideas between teams, and pivot until we find something that actual clients will pay money for.

We deliver the Minimum Viable Product to our customers and get them to pay for it all by end of Sunday. Devs, marketers, strategists and designers, all are welcome.

Tickets

Creating the Perfect Product or Your Idea Is Awful: Critique in modern startups

Kerry Morrison & Karim Awad

Discussions on the ideation, discussion, direction, creation, design, development and launch of a new app, product or startup.

Kerry Morrison – CEO Endloop Mobile

During a nearly 20 year career in the digital marketing world, Kerry has worked for some of the biggest brands and with a number of the largest ad agencies in North America. He’s worked for advertising agencies, startups, telcos, media conglomerates, dot-coms and one of the worlds largest consulting companies. He ran a consulting company called Reason Intelligent Design before becoming the CEO of Endloop Mobile. Over the years, Kerry has led the development of projects for a number of agencies (including TBWA, Cossette, Rethink, DDB, Blast Radius, MacLaren McCann and Wasserman Partners) and clients such as HSBC, Electronic Arts, BC Children’s Hospital Foundation, Concord Pacific, Earl’s, SFU, US Department of Health, and the World Junior Hockey Championship.

Karim founded big time design and communication inc. in 2001 and continues to be the director of the digital design and development studio. He has worked with clients ranging from local artists and musicians to some of the largest brands in the world. Karim has worked and partnered with a number of startups and new ventures.

Karim has a Honours Bachelor of Fine Arts from the University of Waterloo and has shown his art in Canada, USA, Japan and Great Britain. He has a wife and cat.

Stay Calm & Integrate All

Dane Drotts, Co-Founder & President GeneXus USA

Dane Drotts is the Co-Founder and President of GeneXus USA, a Chicago based Software Company that specializes in the rapid prototyping and development of Smart Device and Web applications. Over the past 20 years, Dane has developed a reputation within the Chicago IT industry, and startup community as a passionate advocate for entrepreneurship lending his expertise, network and services to assist in the growth and development of bold and innovative new software and technology solutions.

In addition to working with several Fortune 500 companies, Dane spends a considerable amount of time working with local area startups to assist in the development of competitive technology and marketing strategies. Among these startups are companies such as GlobalTap, SpotHero, CheekyChicago, FRUSA, and ZealousGood where Dane provides advisory services on technology and business model optimization. Dane and his team are also busy working with AgileHealth, KickButts, Metropolitan Planning Council, Center for Neighborhood Technology, and TechCocktail to develop customer centric iOS and Android apps and, at Evanston based L2T Media, they are engaged in a year’s long project to build a customized digital marketing platform that encompasses a range of online media, e-mail, and social components with Google. Dane also works very closely with the Democratic Governors Association, as his company is the preferred App vendor.

Gold Sponsors

OANDA is an innovator and world leader in online foreign exchange trading and currency services. We have created a powerful trading engine that allows clients around the world to trade quickly and with confidence. We’re proud to have recently been named one of The 10 Non-California Tech Companies You Wished You Worked For by Wired magazine, and we’re growing, so please check out our Recruiting Page to see how you can make a difference! To learn more about OANDA, our website and Forex LabNotes blog are great places to get started.

Genexus Canadadelivers a platform to enable you to create software for multiple platforms and technologies in less time. More than 7,000 companies worldwide use GeneXus to create and integrate mission critical applications that adapt readily to relentless technological changes.

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We have a shout-out to all Android users. PTPT (People, Things, Places, Time) needs beta testers!

PTPT is an Android-based app that allows users to extract knowledge from all the data from other apps in their mobile device and uses it “contextually”. Super cool. As one beta tester put it: “What Google does for search on the world wide web, PTPT does that locally on your mobile device.”

Here is the deal: PTPT just released a new version and they are looking for some new beta testers; ones not only intrigued by this cool project, but also to provide meaningful feedback on their daily use of the product.

The process is simple: just sign up, activate your account and you’re good to go. If you’re interested, check out more on the PTPT page or learn more about PTPT in a nutshell here.

So, what are you waiting for?! Sign-up here today (and don’t forget to follow them on the Twitter machine)